Welcome to the Ice House and Welcome to the Plant House

Written by Jane Yolen

Illustrated by Laura Regan

Summary:  These beautifully illustrated books are written in poetry form with occasional rhyme.  Each book describes the land and animals of specific regions.

Mini-Lesson: Visualizing

These books are fantastic for giving students an opportunity to make mental images and visualize.  Read the book to the students  without showing the pictures.  You may want to have them close their eyes.  Read a second time and allow the students to illustrate what they visualize on a piece of paper.  You may want to read it a third time or give the students time to add details after you have finished.  Students can share their illustrations or write about what they pictured, including the details from the text.  Finally, reread the book and show how the author and illustrate visualize the words.

Mini-Lesson: Vocabulary/Word Choice

These books contain amazing descriptions and provide the perfect opportunity to collect new words, compare and contrast words, and play with words that rhyme.  Make lists with the students so they can add new vocabulary to their own writings.

Mice Squeak, We Speak

Written by Tomie dePaola

Summary: This book uses a simple noun/verb sentence style to describe the way different animals communicate.

Mini-Lesson: Main Idea and Details

This book is  a great simple introduction to teaching main idea and details.  The books is a list of details.  After reading the book, have the students create a main idea statement by thinking about what the book is mostly about.  Make a web with the class’s main idea in the middle and the various details the author uses around the outside.  You can refer back to the story, as needed.  This makes for a nice discussion about how readers can infer the main idea, even when the author does not state it.

Mini-Lesson: Expanding Vocabulary

This book is also a nice book for talking about interesting verbs.  The some verbs used in the book may unfamiliar to the students, providing an opportunity to talk about synonyms or categorized words by what type of sounds is being made (i.e. loud, soft, big, small)

A Grand Old Tree

 

Written and Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma

Summary: This book presents the story of a tree’s life, with the tree as the main character.  The author uses strong verbs, along with fantastic illustrations, to share the life cycle of the tree.

Mini-Lesson: Sequence

This book provides a natural connection to story sequence, using a personified tree as the main character. Create a timeline of the tree’s life, showing the connection between the life cycle of the tree and the sequence of a fictional story.

Mini-Lesson: Expanding Vocabulary - Verbs

Create a list of the verbs used in the book.  Engage students in a discussion about the definitions of the verbs. This activity could also extend to creating lists of synonyms or antonyms.

Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms

Written by Berkeley Breathed

 

Summary:  Milo can’t understand why moms are so great until his own mom is taken to Mars.  Milo realizes how important moms are and helps to bring her home.

 

Mini-Lesson: Inferences

This book has amazing vocabulary that is combined to create very complex sentences and language.  Take time while reading this story to stop and discuss what the sentences are really saying.  Students can use the context of the story, the page, and the pictures to make inferences about what the character is really talking about.  The teacher can make a chart with quotes on one side and what students infer they mean on the other.

 

Mini-Lesson: Vocabulary

There are amazing phrases and vocabulary in this story.  Keep a chart of new and interesting words.  Use context and discussion to help the students define new words.

The Pumpkin Blanket

The Pumpkin Blanket

by Ann Turney Zagwin

Summary: Clee shares her beloved blanket with pumpkins that are at risk of the coming frost.

Mini-Lesson: Inferring and Predicting

This is a wonderful story to use for making predictions. Clee’s blanket looks like a garden and students can infer a connection between the blanket and the garden. Students can also predict that Clee is going to end up sharing the pieces of her blanket with all of the pumpkins – the number of pumpkins and the number of patches on her blanket at the same. There is also great opportunity to infer the feelings of the main character as she shares her blanket.

Mini-Lesson: Expanding Vocabulary

Students are enthralled with the author’s use of interesting words. This is a great book to collect adjectives to expand vocabulary.

Carmine: A Little More Red

Carmine: A Little More Red

Written and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Summary: This story provides a very different version of Little Red Riding Hood!Carmine paints her way to her Grandmother's house, sharing fantastic vocabulary organized in alphabetical order. Read and see how this story differs for the classic tale we all know and love!

Mini-Lesson: Expanding Vocabulary and Context Clues

As this book is written as an alphabetic version of Little Red Riding Hood, provide a purpose for listening to the story by having students listen for new and interesting words. As you read, stop to discuss words along the way. Model how to determine the meaning of the words through the use of context clues. Share with students how the reader can determine the meaning of a new word by replacing the word with a synonym that makes sense. This assists students in applying context and what they know to figure out new vocabulary. The teacher may want to make a list of next and interesting words found in the book or add words to a class word wall.

Mini-Lesson: Text-to-Text Connections and Compare and Contrast

Before sharing the book, have student review the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Set the purpose by telling students to listen for connections between this story and Little Red Riding Hood. As you read, have students share how this story reminds them of the classic. Since portions of this story vary from the original, it also provides a great opportunity to compare and contrast the two tales.

A Seed is Sleepy

A Seed is Sleepy

Written by Dianna Hutts Aston

Illustrated by Sylvia Long

2007

A Seed is Sleepy is a beautifully illustrated book packed fully of endless details about seeds and plants. Each page contains detailed information in both the pictures and the text. The rich language the author uses is both informative and poetic, leaving the readers with facts and a memory of amazing vocabulary.

Mini-Lesson: Expanding Vocabulary

The rich language in this text provides many opportunities for students to listen for wonderful words. Each segment begins with a sub-title that contains an adjective, describing a seed. The author then goes on to explain why the adjective appropriate for the seed. Focusing on new vocabulary supports students in developing their own personal vocabularies and expanding the schema, resulting in stronger comprehension.

Before reading the text, set the purpose for reading by having the students listen for new and/or interesting words. You may want students to collect their words on sticky notes or clipboards, or may may want to pause periodically to chart words that "stuck" with the children. The words collected may then be sorted by nouns, verbs, and adjectives. If you choose to focus on adjectives, discuss with the students why the adjectives that were chosen were strong and appropriate words an supported the understanding of the reader.

Mini-Lesson: Using Context Clues

This is also a wonderful text to explicitly model using context to determine the meaning of unknown words. Following the subtitle, the author provides details that help support the adjective used. Take time to discuss how the details provided help the reader to understand the meaning of the adjective.

Mini-Lesson: Text Features

When reading, take tie to really look closely at the details of the labels and illustrations. The labels provide students with names of numerous seeds and plants. Diagrams illustrate measurement, time lines, and the opportunity to compare seeds and plants. The rich illustrations also provide a long look, as the details of amazing!

Velma Gratch & the Way Cool Butterfly

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly
Written by Alan Madison
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

(2007)

Velma begins first grade and tries to make herself as memorable as her two older sisters. In an effort to be noticed, Velma develops an interest in butterflies. This interest leads to an interesting problem.

Mini Lesson: Vocabulary

As the delightful main character learns about butterflies, she begins to collect interesting words. While reading this book with your students, have them listen for new and interesting words the main character uses when she learns something new about butterflies. Emphasis that readers can find new and interesting words in every books, including books about topics they are learning.

The inside of the front and back covers also provide wonderful content vocabulary for students. The inside of the front cover shows caterpillars, labeled with their names. The inside of the back cover contains butterflies, labeled with their names. This feature may spark an interest in scientific vocabulary or names of caterpillars and butterflies.

Mini Lesson: Text-to-Self Connections

While reading the book, ask students if they can think of a time when they wanted to be noticed or were jealous of a sibling. Discuss how the students and Velma may have felt about being "overshadowed". The class can also brainstorm possible solutions to this problem. Students may also connect to having a specific interest, such as Velma has for butterflies. Discuss how interests may be different from the interests of others and how hobbies are an important part of who people are.